Proud Citizen got the win in the Coolmore Lexington.

The Hall of Fame trainer likely has his Derby horse following Proud Citizen's 3 1/4-length victory Saturday in the $325,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

The lightly raced son of Gone West ran to the lead in the first turn, and held off American Style at the top of the stretch before drawing away to win the 1 1-16-mile race on a muddy track.

"I don't have to make a decision now, do I?" Lukas asked. "We'll look at him, visit with the owners and go from there."

Lukas missed the Derby last year after a record 20 consecutive starts. That likely won't be the case this year, especially with no clear-cut favorite emerging for the May 4 event.

"If we're going to be in this game and put the kind of money we do, you've got to look that direction," he said. "We're fooling ourselves if we don't.

"(Owner) Christine Baker always said, `Get me a big hat horse,"' he said. "I think she's got a big hat horse."

Proud Citizen, who went off at 8-1 with Mike Smith aboard, covered the soft track in 1:44 2-5.

"I'm not trying to be a cheerleader or anything, but that track was pretty deep and wet and not very fast," Lukas said.

Crimson Hero, trained by Nick Zito, finished second, followed by second betting choice Easyfromthegitgo, saddled by Steve Asmussen.

"If everything goes good, we will likely go to the Preakness," Zito said. "This was only his fifth start. He's a lightly raced horse."

Favorite Ethan Man ran last most of the race but rebounded over the final two furlongs to finish fifth in the eight-horse field.

"I'm not making excuses, but he wasn't taking to the track," trainer Pat Byrne said of Ethan Man. "It was really, really deep."

This wouldn't be the first time Lukas used a last-minute prep victory at Keeneland to secure a spot in the Derby.

In 1999, he saddled unheralded Charismatic to a surprising victory in the Lexington. The colt then rebounded to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before suffering a career-ending leg injury while running to a third-place finish in the Belmont.

Proud Citizen's victory in the Lexington was even more of a surprise than Charismatic's.

Following a seven-month layoff in which he recovered from surgery to remove a bone spur in his knee, Proud Citizen's first start of the year came against many of the nation's best 3-year-olds in the Santa Anita Derby on April 2. He finished seventh in the field of eight.

"We got behind with him following the spur and he's just now getting where we want him to be," Lukas said. "I hate to admit this, but I used Santa Anita as a prep for the Lexington.

"But we've got a very fresh horse that has not gone to the well yet. There's still a lot of good things to come with this one."

Proud Citizen paid $18.60, $10 and $5.60. Crimson Hero, ridden by Jerry Bailey, paid $8.20 and $4.20. Easyfromthegitgo, with Donnie Meche aboard, paid $3.